Manage your subscription

Huddling for warmth gives animals a more efficient gut microbiome

Huddling changes the composition of the gut microbiome

Arterra Picture Library / Alamy Stock Photo

By Yvaine Ye

Winter is coming, for the northern hemisphere at least. While many of us dig out our blankets and fleeced socks, some animals go searching for each other. Many small mammals huddle together to keep warm when the temperature drops. It now turns out that this huddling behaviour changes the composition of bacteria in the animals’ guts – and it does so in a way that slows down their metabolism and helps them preserve energy.